Side ditch scraper for ditching machines



Nov. 13, 1951 E. R. SEWARD 2,574,799

SIDE DITCH SCRAPER FOR DLTCHING MACHINES Filed Feb. 18. 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORQ ,E;. R.5e ura 7' c2 MQLM MW.

E. R. SEWARD SIDE DITCH SCRAPER FOR DITCHING MACHINES Nov. 13, 1951 4 Sheefs-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 18. 1949 INVENTOR. E H.5awar-J v BY 21% QZyQ ZZ 795.

Nov. 13, 1951 E. R. SEWARD 2,574,799 SIDE DITCH SCRAPER FOR DITCHING MACHINES Filed Feb. 18. 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 4' INVENTOR. Ell 72,9 ward Patented Nov. 13, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SIDE DITCH SCBAPER FOR DITCHING MACHINES Emmett R. Seward, Houston, Tex. Application February 18, 1949, Serial No. 77,244

1 Claim. 1

An, object of this invention is to provide a pair of scrapers for mounting on any make or type of ditcher, such as the endless chain or wheel type, whereby the dirt, on either side of the ditch being dug, may be scraped into the ditch.

Another object of this invention is to provide a simplified adjusting and supporting means for scrapers.

A further object of this invention is to provide a scraper construction which may be adjusted relative to the ditching machine so as to be capable of use with any ditch, regardless of its depth or width.

A further object of this invention is to construct a side ditch scraper with a supporting plate quadrant having a-long straight side adjacent the ditch whereby the same may be used on small and narrow constricted ditches.

A further object of this invention is to construct a side ditch scraper with supporting bars that can be fastened to any make or type of ditching machine, without alteration of the machine. v

A further object of this invention is to con struct a side ditch scraper having interchangeable bearing plates and angle bars to be used on either the right or left-hand side of the machine.

Still another objectof the invention is the pro vision of a side ditch scraper including supporting plates for the blades thereof comprising an improvement over the construction disclosed in my prior Patent No. 1,831,324, dated November 10, 1931, entitled Side Ditch Scraper for Ditchers.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in the arrangement, combination and details of construction disclosed in the drawings and specification, and then more particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawings,

Figure l is a detail side elevation of a side ditch scraper constructed according to an embodiment of this invention, showing the device mounted on a ditch digging device such as the device shown in my prior Patent No. 1,831,324 supra,

Figure 2 is a detail rear elevation of the device,

Figure 3 is a fragmentary plan view of one of the scrapers and the supporting means therefor,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the adjustable mounting for the scraper blade,

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 3,

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 3,

Figure '7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 5,

Figure 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 10 designates generally a ditch digger which includes an endless chain l I having digging buckets I2 secured thereto, and operated by means of a driving chain l3 extending forwardly and connected to a suitable power means. Side plates [4 extend from the frame) and the digger It also includes an upright frame member Hi' having fixed to the upper end thereof a rearwardly extending brace bar is and an angularly disposed bracing bar ll which is in turn braced by means of a second bracing bar IS.

The digger H] has secured to the rear end thereof a pair 'of scraping blades l9 and 2|]. These blades 19 and 20 are disposed in forwardly divergent relation and are adjustably secured to the frame of the digger as will be hereinafter described. Each blade and the supporting means therefor is identical and the detailed description of one of these blades with its supporting means will apply equally as well to the other blade and supporting means therefor.

The blade 20 has disposed thereabove a horizontally disposed bearing plate 2! which is secured to the blade 20 by means of inner and outer bars 22 and 23 and an intermediate bar 24. The bars 22 and 23 are provided with right angularly disposed upper ends 25 and 2t secured to the plate 2| by fastening means 21 and 28 respectively.

The upper end of the bar 24 is formed with a right angular member 29 which is secured to the plate 2| by means of a bolt 30, and the bolt 30 also constitutes a, pivot bolt as will be hereinafter described. The bars 22, 23 and 24 are formed with longitudinally curved lower portions 3|, 32 and 33, engaging the rear convex side of the blade 20 and secured thereto by fastening means 34. Preferably the blade 20 is formed with spaced holes 35 so that the supporting bars 3|, 32 and 33 may be adjusted along the length of the blade 20 to thereby position the inner end of the .blade 20 in the desired position with respect to the edge .of the ditch which is being formed by the digger.

The blade 20 is supported rearwardly of the digger I0 by means of a pair of rearwardly convergent supporting bars 36 which are mounted on a laterally extending shaft 31 formed with a right angularly disposed inner end 38 secured by fastening means 39 to an adjacent portion of the digger ID. The bars 36 each have secured to the inner end thereof a collar 40 through which a set screw 4| engages so that the bars 36 may be adjusted along the length of the shaft 31. The outer end of the shaft 31 is supported by means of a downwardly and outwardly inclined bracing and supporting bar 42 which is secured by fastening means 43 to an adjacent portion of the digger which in the present instance includes a longitudinally curved gear rack 44 fixed to and extending downwardly from ,the boom bracing member H.

An intermediate supporting bar 45 is disposed between the supporting bars 36 with the rear ends of the supporting bars 36 being disposed on opposite sides of the rear end-of supporting bar 45. The forward end of bar 45 loosely engages the shaft 31 and the bars 36 and 45 are held in spacedapart relation by means of spacer sleeves 46 through which an elongated bolt-4l extends. A horizontally disposed angle bar 48 is secured to the rear ends of the bars 36 and 45 and the angle bar 48 includes a vertical side 49 which is formed, as shown in Figure 4, with a plurality of horizontal elongated slots 58 through which bolts extend. The holes 50 provide a means whereby the scraper blades may be adjusted toward or away from the rear end of the ditcher toconform with the angle or the bucket line in deep of shallow ditches. The vertical side 49 of the angle bar 48 is interposed between-the rear end of one of the supporting bars 36 and the adjacent side of the supporting bar 45. bolt 30 for the plate 2| extends through the rear portion of the horizontal lower side 52 of the angle member 48 and the bearing plate 2| is formed with .an elongated arcuate slot 53 which is coaxial with the pivot 30. A bolt 54 extends through the horizontal lower side 52 of the angle bar 48 and through the slot 53 so that the bearing plate 2| may be angularly adjusted about the axis of bolt 30 to thereby vary the angular relation of one blade relative to the other.

The blades l9 and may be vertically ad- .J'usted to either operative or inoperative position by means of a winding drum.generallydesignated as 55. The winding drum "55 includes a shaft 56 which is journalled in bearings 51 which are carried by an inverted U-shaped member 58 which is formed with a .downturned end-59 secured by fastening means '69 to the vertical side 49 of the angle bar 48. -The drum 55 includes a hub 6| which is fixed to the shaft 56 and one end of the drum 55 is formed with ratchet teeth .62 with which a awl 63 is adapted to engage for -h lding the drum '55 against rotation in an unwinding directi n.

Theme B s ar ied bya po tion cfthe earing structure .51 asshown 'iniF gure .6. The drum 55 is adapted to have a cable 6.4 .Wound thereabout, "the cable 64 bein extended upwardly from the drum 55 and passed over a grooved Pulley 65 which is rotatably carried by the rear end of thebrace IS. The cable .64 isthen extended downwardly and secured to an eye or other fastening means 66 which is carried by the windin drum base 58,.

In the use and operation of this device, the scraping blades l9 and 2B are secured to-the rear portion of the digger 1.5 .as hereinhefore described. Vlhen the digger is in operation .and.. the buckets l2 are moving and discharging the dirt into the lateral conveyor (not shown) thev digger The pivot will move forwardly slowly and at this time the scraping blades l9 and 20 will be disposed in their lower operative position substantially contacting with the surface of the ground. The blades l9 and 20 are laterally adjusted by means of the set screws 4| so that the inner ends of the blades I9 and 20 will be closely adjacent the side walls of the ditch is being formed by the digger. In theevent the blades 19 and 20 are to be adjusted toward or away from each other a dis- :tance greater than permitted by the length of the supporting shafts 31, the blades may be adjusted by removing the fastening means 34 and positioning the curved bars 3|, 32 and 33 in adjusted position along the lengths of the' blades.

Normally the shafts 31 provide for scraping of the loose dirt into the ditch and in a position for removal of this loose dirt by the digging buckets |2 as the digger moves along the ground. In the event it is desired to vary the angular relation of one blade relative to the other, this may be done by loosening bolt 54 and swinging one of the bearing plates 2| to provide a desired angular position of the associated digging blade. The use of plate 2f will permit the adjustment of the scraper blades for use with small and narrow ditchers, and the substantial distance between pivot bolt 35 and bolt 54 will hold the scraper rigid in a non-tilting position.

I do not mean to confine myself to the exact details of construction herein disclosed, butclairn all variations falling within the purview of the appended claim.

What I claim is:

A side ditch digger comprising apair of scraper blades and supporting means for securing said blades to the digger, said supporting means including a pair of elongated divergent bars and a central bar for each blade, an angle iron secured to each set of bars, means for longitudinally adjusting the position of each of said angle. irons relative to said bars, a plate having a relatively long arcuate edge and an obtnsely angled g po i ioned over each of aid rap r b ad s. angle irons secured to each en and o the c n e of each of said scraper blades, a pivot bolt extending through said first-mentioned angle iron, aid plate adjac nt the angle of the obtusely angled edge thereof .andsaid angle iron secured to the center of saidscraperbIada each of said plates having an arcuate slot .therein adjacent the arcuate edge coaxial with said pivot belt, a second bolt extending through its associated first mentioned angle iron spaced from its associated first-mentioned bolt and extending through the adjacent arcuate slot whereby the angular relation of said blades relative to their associated first-mentioned angle iron may be independently varied.

EMME'IT R. SEWARD.

ERENQES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,831,324 Seward Nov. 10,1931 1,898,312 Ritchie .l-.n Feb. 21, 1.93.3 2,346,757 .I-Iorner Apr.,l8,, 1,944 

